How are these for pumping around in the surf? Compared to code for example. As they seem to be both around 9.5AR
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Sorry I don’t have an answer for you, but I would like to know too if anyone has had the chance to test them out yet.
The 180 being around 9.5AR, the 220 is more like 8.5. I’m sure AR isn’t everything but a 220 would seem to be designed for very light conditions where a ton of glide could be handy. There’ll be no waves with any power most likely. It would be interesting to hear the design philosophy in going this direction, no other brand really has.
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I think the lift 180-220hax were designed for their E foil users- yes some rock stars can ride em and say great things about them. I haven’t used the Code, but those that have rave about them…I’m sure I’ll get torched for this.
Hey there !
I use mostly the 150 and 180 for SUP down winding (95kg, 7’10x18.5x120l board, started 7-8 months ago)
I like the fact that Lift HA wings do not get too large growing up in size.
I don’t have the skills to use small wing as my “go-to” wing.
I don’t race, so I don’t care about being 10sec/km faster.
I want to “carve” the bumps.
In my opinion Lift HAX line represents a good balance between carve, speed and glide for SUP down winding for me as an average Joe.
If you’re skilled, you’ll end up using the 110HAX most of time and 150HAX for light conditions.
About the 220HAX, if I had to buy a super light wind wing, I would go for it or something similar (CodeS 1300, Kujira 1440, Kujira2 1400…) because I don’t want to carry more than 110cm span (such as the Axis ART1201).
I learned with a 1440 Kujira, and it can carve decently for its size, pumps well and able to go slow. I’d expect the 220HAX to be similar but with a touch less low end / more high end.
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What tail were you using with the 1440? Did you find it paddled up easily
Thanks
From what I’ve tried, it is the easiest foil to paddle up while still being able to enjoy your ride once you’re flying.
I mean for sure there are foils that are easier to get up with, but once you’re up it is just to slow and locked in to do anything.
Works fine with the 220 kujira.
I also tried with a KD 13.5 and Unifoil Shiv 14, but 220 is more balanced.
I would call the Lift 180X a pretty small foil to paddle up, given your board size and weight.
Well done!
Beginner / intermediate DWer with a season under my belt - Rode the 220 / 26 Carve extended here in La Ventana on a 7’4 KT. Conditions averaging 14-18kts on a 4 mile run.
The 220 is definitely user friendly. It gets up very easily (was able to paddle it up in 6-7kts the other day just practicing), and can really stay going on the tiniest of bump energy. The glide is good but not exceptional. It projects better than the Axis 1050 but not quite as good as the Axis 1300, though I haven’t ridden the 1201 / SF 1180 that people rave about. What I like about the 220 is that it turns so well for a wing of its size. You can still carve the bumps when they get steep, and it stays in the energy of you slow it down and wait for a bump to reform.
On the first run, I came down a handful of times due to redlining ( I’m sure it’s technique and fitness together) but nearly aced it as the wind came up during the second run. If it gets windier this week I will rig the 180 and report back!
Code comparison: Another guy in our party was riding the the code 1130S and was doing a lot of work to stay up on their first run. He is more experienced, and though he aced the run he said it was a lot of work since the conditions were challenging.
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I can confirm this isn’t the case. The 180 and 220HA-X were specifically designed for downwinding.
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Hi Matt,
Can you comment any at all about the design philosophy, specifically why Lift chose to reduce the AR in these larger sizes? It’s such a 180° from most of the other big names in downwind foiling. Can only assume it’s so they might actually turn reasonably well but maybe there’s more to it?
Which foils are you referring to ?
Because most foil around 1400cm² that are references for downwind have similar AR
Kujira 1440, Kujira2 1400, Progression 200, Code 1300, FOne 7S 1400, Eagle 1290…
With the exception of Axis ART Pro 1201
Foils of this size are mostly used by beginners, so you need something that get up easy and is able to go slow. Once your skilled you go foil <1000cm² foils and then you can go for much higher AR.
I’d love a 140HAX with AR13 (something like 110cm span), basically a bigger 110HAX.
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The 180 HAX is a fantastic wing. It’s very efficient and surfs amazingly well, great combo of performance and user-friendliness. I did a light wind downwinder yesterday and had a blast. Also, the new M2 mast is so good—very stiff and slippery. I was a bit skeptical about whether the 32" mast would be efficient in light winds, but it worked great. Here’s a short video from the run.
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Kezia, most of the foils you’ve listed, at least what are used in my areas are 9.5+AR. I see almost no Takuma anymore and Uni P200 is really a prone foil. Even a Go Foil P1500 is 9.9 AR, P1125 is 13.2.
But none of these large super HA’s can really turn very well and I’m guessing that’s what Lift is offering here.
Absolutely agree on the 140X at 13+ AR. I’m about to jump ship to fill that gap. Love my 110 in 3M+ swell but otherwise too much work and the 150 is at least better (but feels like a slug after riding the 110 a while). They need to beef up where the trailing edge meets the fuse/body though. All my X’s have stress cracks thus I’d be very reluctant to buy one as large as the 220 
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As you move up in size in our HA-X lineup the wings becomes easier to ride by decreasing the AR and increasing camber. Wing span also comes into play. A 110HA-X still turns great at 13.1AR with a wing span of 38". A 220 with an aspect ratio of 13 sounds great until you realize it needs 53.5in wing span to achieve that. Ultimately, our goal in each size wing is to select the attributes that best suits the specific size and the customers/conditions it’s most likely to be ridden in.
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Please shoot us an email at help@liftfoils.com if you have any defective products. The 180 and 220 are built from a new high modulus layup that is very stiff and durable. Regarding your size request. Stay tuned. 
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Thanks for the specifics Matt 
I also want to mention that the one warranty issue I brought to Lift’s attention was dealt with very quickly and professionally. The stress cracks I mentioned are really small and don’t appear to be affecting performance (I’ve seen much worse on Armstrong and even one of my Go Foil wings). Just salt lines after drying in that very thin web area up against the fuse. Not sure if you’d warranty that but I’ll show it to my dealer in the spring. I think I would have a hard time selling it as is.
Nice to hear there are a " variety" of carbons being used in the larger sizes. Looking forward to demoing them in the spring
I’ll also add that lift has been absolutely fantastic on several warranty issues. They even replaced a wing that was past the warranty date for me. I’ll be tuned 
Any ETA for this new front wing ? 
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